Twenty Questions
by Mana Midnight
Summary: When Snape finds a drunk Harry Potter, he takes him to his room for questioning, not knowing that this would in turn lead him to a revelation. DMHP slight slash, pilot fic. Sequel up, named Golden Boy.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

_**20 Questions**_

Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, former spy for the Order of the Pheonix, and unofficial hall monitor always knew what to do in any situation.

Except the one he currently found himself in.

Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived to annoy Snape, Savior of the Wizarding World, Captain and Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and unofficial Golden Boy was sitting on the ground in front of Severus.

Completely shit-faced drunk.

"You don' look all tha' bad, Snape." Potter giggled and took a swig from the bottle of Firewhiskey he was holding. Severus groaned and ran a hand through his surprisingly satiny hair.

"What am I going to do with you, Potter?" He practically moaned as the Gryffindor giggled from his spot on the floor. The Potions Master looked at him again, making sure to take in everything of the smaller boy's appearance. Potter's glasses were askew, hanging crookedly off one ear and in danger of falling off any second. His normally messy hair was an even bigger mess and he didn't wear his school robe that had his House emblazoned on the front. He wore a pair of faded jeans that clung to his legs and hips and an emerald green sweater-hoodie that had an animated silver snake on it. In his left hand was a half full bottle of Firewhiskey. After taking in everything, Severus came to a not so startling conclusion.

That was not Potter's first bottle of the stuff and it wasn't his first time doing this either.

"Do wi' me?" At this Potter giggled again, "You can give me anothe' bottle of Firewishkey...wishtey...wisey...hey!" Potter tried to glare at Severus when the taller man pulled him up, that much was obvious, but he failed when he swayed and giggled at the disgusted look on Severus' face.

"Come, you are coming to my rooms for a potion and rest." He kept a grip on Potter's arm as he pulled him down the hall, hiding in the shadows when someone else passed in a nearby corridor. They had almost been caught once before Severus had cast a silencing charm around Potter, to which the boy only giggled uncontrollably.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was in all actuality only approximately fifteen, they stopped in front of a potrait of a crimson and silver pheonix, with the eyes a welcoming blue and a soft golden hue in the background and the frame was charcoal black with the corners a dark shade of green. Severus spoke the password harshly and, after making sure that he had a tight grip on Potter's arm, pulled him through the doorway and into the warmth of his living room. The fire was lit in the fireplace, but no other light intruded. Severus sat Potter down on the emerald couch before collapsing on the matching armchair. Potter took another swig from the bottle, or tried to anyway. Severus snatched it out of his hand and set it on the gold mahagony coffeetable table with dark red carvings of snakes, lions, eagles, and badgers.

"Hey, thi' ain't Dumbledork, I mean Dumbledore's office?" Potter ended off with another giggle as he reached for the Firewhiskey, Severus moved it further away from the now pouting boy.

"Because, as much as I dislike you, _Potter_, you are the last person I need to see thrown out right now." Severus growled.

"Why i' tha'?" This time he slurred and Severus shivered with disgust as he wondered who would ever find this boy-correction, young, currently drunk man-attractive. Potter was small enough that Severus had to wonder, for only a breif second, I assure you, as to what his home life to be like, to give him this almost emaciated look to his already small frame.

"I will ask the questions here boy, not you." Severus snapped and frowned when Harry flinched at the harshly spoken words. He brushed it off as the firelight casting shadows though when Harry smiled at him goofily and laid down.

"The' ask away!" Potter giggled.

"What were you doing drinking? Firewhiskey, nonetheless." Severus asked smoothly, caging his rage and curiosity behind icy masks. Really, any Slytherin, and a Potions Master at that, was too curious for their own good.

"Wha'? And have those nightmaresh?" Potter furrowed his brow and tried to figure out how to currectly say the last word. Really, Gryffindors! Severus scoffed but continued with his interrogation. Chances were that Potter wouldn't remember it and Snape couldn't get in trouble for using veritaserum. The alcohol did that job for him.

"What nightmares?"

"Of Moldy Oldy Voldy and the war and umm..." Harry lost his train of thought as he stared wistfully at the bottle of Firewhiskey in Severus' hand.

"Don't you use occlumency like I taught you?" Severus snapped again, and Harry flinched again, and this time Severus caught the miniscule motion.

"Bu' after I looked at those memories, you threw me ou', 'member? I never go' the hang of i'." Severus caught glazed green eyes and caught the barest hint of years of suffering hidden under well placed masks.

"Is this the first time you've ever drunk?" Severus watched the other boy closely and was given a happy smile.

"Nope!" Potter chirped out, Severus groaned as images of Potter sr. came to his mind, but he chased them away in favor of keeping a closer eye on Lily's son.

"When was the first time you ever got drunk?"

"Uhh...-" Here Potter had to stop and tap his chin as he tried to recall, "-Beginnin' o' the year, I think. When Ron go' mad a' me for coming out to 'em." Potter smiled brightly at the Potions Master as his jaw fell to the ground and nearly fell off the couch from the resulting giggles.

"Came out to them?" Severus heard the words come out of his mouth, but true curiousity had been kindled and he couldn't let it go until he knew all the answers to his questions.

"Yeah! He finally go' over i' though, bu' I had other reasons to drink!" Potter sat up slightly, sending another longing look to the bottle in Severus' hand. The older man paid no heed to it though.

"What other reason's?" He asked instead.

"Wha' ish this? Twenty bleedin' questions?" This time Harry tried to reach forward for his drink, but Snape just shook his head and moved it further away, grnning maliciously.

"Nah uh uh, Mister Potter. You are not getting this back and yes, you can call this twenty questions."

"Then you only have thirteen left! Fire away!" Potter mimicked a muggle gun, or Severus thought it was that anyway, and promptly fell down giggling again.

"How much did you drink tonight?"

"Three and a half bottles." Was the immediate reply. Severus felt his jaw fell as he counted his questions. How had Potter kept track in his current intoxicated state?

"Merlin, Potter. What made you drink tonight?" He asked, a little awed. What could have driven the Gryffindor Golden Boy to such length to forget his problems?

"I ha' another nightmare." Was uttered in an upbeat manner.

"Another night of what?" Severus stroked his cheek and chin thoughtfully.

"Well, I guess you wouldn't call i' a nightmare."

"Answer the question, Potter." Harry flinched again and Severus' thoughts took another twist.

"Well...it started ou' as Uncle Vernon pushing me into my ol' room, but i' ended with Draco saving me!" Potter giggled goofily again, but Snape barely heard it.

"Draco?"

"Yup! Eight left, Snape!" Severus blinked again as he was reminded of the fact that Potter could keep count when shit-faced.

"What is this about your old room?"

"The cupboard under the stairs! My best friend was thi' little spider!" Harry giggled again.

"And why did Draco save you?" Potter held up six fingers and Severus glared half-heartedly at him.

"Because he loves me," Potters face fell and any thoughts of this being the cruel James Potter's son was blown away in the wind that ran through his mind, reording his thoughts, when a single tear began to fall down lightly tanned cheeks, "But he can't, because I'm a boy, and he's a Slytherin, and hates me." Another tear slowly fell and Severus nearly choked on his own saliva when the brilliant emerald eyes that looked into his held no masks or deceit. Only grief and a bone-deep weariness.

"Potter, this is the Wizarding World, men can have children if they so desire it." Severus scoffed, Harry shook his head. Yes, Harry, not Potter. Severus could not see anything of James in the hopeless hang of his head.

"Tha' doesn't matter. I've never given him a reason to like me. He's a Pureblood, I'm a Halfblood." Severus was caught flatfooted, again, when Harry's shoulders shook slightly.

"Potter, despite being halfblooded, your is the purest." Severus tried to sneer, but failed miserably when Harry looked at him with watery eyes.

"Why are you doing this? He's your godson! You should be trying to make me change how I feel!" Harry whimpered and Severus thought that images of Black must have been been brought up for he looked like he wanted to finish off what was in the Firewhiskey bottle that Severus had set on the endtable, safely out of Harry's reach.

"Ever since you destroyed Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries in your fifth year, you saved me from death," Severus started out stiffly, but continued in a much softer voice when he realized that Harry was looking at him closely, scrutinizing every nuance of his body language for falsehood, "He had become suspicious of me and if you had not killed him in a rage after Bellatrix had killed Black, I would most likely not be sitting here."

"But..." Harry started and looked down and away, but Severus was beside him in a flash, holding his chin so that the smaller boy would look him in the eye.

"No buts, Harry. I will not see the only reason that I draw breathe in a self-destructive spiral. Now rest. You must be up early tomorrow." Harry's green eyes widened and Severus let go, conjuring a blanket for the smaller boy to cover himself with before standing and getting the bottle of Firewhiskey.

"Professor, you have six questions left." Harry called out groggily as Severus as he left the room.

"That I do, Mister Potter. Alas, I only have one left. We can save the rest for another time," Severus spelled the fire to dim and waited for Harry's sleepy nod before he continued, "If you had the chance to be with my godson, and have a chance for him to possibly get to know you, would you take it?"

"O' course, I may be a Gryffindor, but I'm no' stupid." With that Harry fell asleep and Severus left the room and headed to Dumbledore's office. The old coot would still be awake at this hour and if he wasn't, Severus would wake him up.

Somethings could not be left standing as they were.

FIN

Whatcha think? It's a pilot fic, but if no one wants to see this turn into a chapter-fic, I'm not going to bother and leave it as it is. Either review or answer the poll on my profile.

Thanks a bunch!

Midnight


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